


Cold hands and warm hearts

by Enide_Dear



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Just bros being bros, M/M, and good to one another
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 08:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13360179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enide_Dear/pseuds/Enide_Dear
Summary: It's a cold enough day in Insomnia that even Gladio has to wear proper clothes. But not everyone can afford winter clothing.





	Cold hands and warm hearts

You knew it was cold in Insomnia when the prince's Shield was forced not just to wear a jacket, but to actually keep it zipped up to his chin. There was also a beanie pushed down on his head and a woolen scarf around his neck to further drive hom the point that it was, as Ignis expressed it, bloody cold. The advisor himself was shivering slightly in his thick lambskin coat and took frequent sips of his hot coffee to try to keep his temperature up. 

"Isn't short and blonde coming soon? I'm freezing my ass of standing still here." Gladio grumbled, a white plume rising from his breath. 

"He's on his way." Touchscreen gloves were really a gift from the Astral, Noctis mused as he checked his phone once more. Even with the finest, warmest jacket in Insomnia, the chill seemed to leak into his very bones. As soon as Prompto arrived, they'd get going to the frozen lake and get some warmth back while skating. 

A touch of golden in the frozen winter city immediatelly drew his eyes. 

"Here he is."

A sudden frown passed over Ignis face, quickly replaced by his smooth diplomatic one as Prompto hurried through the crowd towards them. Gladio wasn't nearly so subtle. 

"The Hell?" He grunted before Ignis shut him up with an elbow in his side. 

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late! Couldn't find my skates, sorry. But I'll just watch you guys stumble around and fall on your asses, it's cool." Prompto said breathlessly as he skidded up to them. 

"'Cool' being the main word here," Ignis mumbled and Noctis had to agree. 

Prompto was only wearing a thin jacket - the one he always wore, although he seemed to have bundled up with at least three sweaters underneath it, and what looked like an old scarf with cactuars around his neck, the kind of scarf a child would wear. He was jumping more than usually from foot to foot; probably to keep the cold from crawling through his sneakers. 

"Aren't you going to wear a hat?" Noctis blurted and almost rolled his eyes at himself. He hated when he sounded like Ignis. 

"Ahaha, what? And mess up this perfectly groomed hair?" Prompto grinned through clattering teeth. "C'mon, dude." His ears were getting red. 

With a sigh, Gladio pulled of his own beanie, and pushed over Prompto's head. The indignated squark was somewhat muffled by thick wool.

"Hey, this smells like hair gel and work out sweat!" Prompto complained as he pulled the beanie up far enough to be able to breath. 

"Keep it, squirt. Or your ears are going to fall off." Gladio winked at him. 

"Well...I can't take it off now. My hair is all flat." Prompto muttered, fingering the soft and very warm hat. "You'll get it back later."

"Sure." Gladio answered in that tone of voice that Noctis knew meant that beanie or one very much like it was going to find its way back into Prompto's pockets everytime he tried to return it. 

"Also I am sure we have a spare pair of skates at the Citadell," Ignis added smoothly. "May i request as to your shoe size, Prompto?"

"Um, I'm a 41, but you really don't have to...." But Ignis was already walking back inside. Prompto waved his arms around frantically until Noct got the message and slided over to him. "I can't skate!" The gunner whispered desperate. "I've never even tried!"

*Yeah, I kinda figured.* Noctis thought but said. "Look, I'm not very good at it either. Haven't since....you know, my back injury."He said awkwardly, still not liking to talk about it. "We'll just hold on to Gladio until we get it, alright? No big deal."

"What i gotta play mother hen to two chickens now? No way, you can hold on to one another. That would be hillarious to see. Like two fawns on ice, all skinny legs and no balance" Gladio grinned just as Ignis returned with a pair of well worn skates in one hand and a pair of crownsguard boots and woolen socks in the other. He was smiling. 

"I believe these used to belong to me," he said as he handed over the skates. "And as luck would have it, your crownsguard attire was getting ready. It wouldn't do for the prince's reruine to slip and crack his head open on the pavement, now would it? Next time, use winter shoes."

Noctis gave him an angry glance because, seriously, couldn't Ignis see what was going on here? Obviously Prompto didn't have any money to buy winter clothes and chastising him for it wasn't helping. What kind of master strategist was Ignis, anyway?

"Nah, I'll....I'll probably just use these." Prompto swallowed a bit as he held up his boots. "They're....cool you know."

...apparently enough of a strategist to know how to give someone a way to use the boots without loosing face or admit that he was poor. Right. A certain glint in the spectacled face made Noct realise that there would probably soon be a warm jacket in just the right size for sale in the thrift shop Prompto passed by on his way home everyday. 

"So, are we ready or what?" Gladio looked on amused as Prompto quickly changed from his sneakers to the warm socks and boots. 

"Yep! Ready to go!" Looking a lot less cold and a lot more energetic, Prompto grabbed his borrowed skates. "Let's go, I want to see if Ignis can do figure skating."

"Well, my Biellman spin is passable, but my Cantilever needs some work."

"You need help bending over backwards? I can help you with that...."

"Won't you be busy tending the children? I do hope they brought helmets."

"Nah, we were just planning on using Gladio as an airbag."

"What makes you think I'll be softer to land on than the ice?"

Walking a few steps behind his friends and listening to their banter, Noctis smiled. 

Things would be alright. As long as they stayed together, it would be alright.


End file.
